Snell, Andy and Carrie (Winter 2012)

We hope that all of you were able to have a blessed Christmas. We are enjoying an unseasonably warm winter, not to rub it in to all of you that have been shoveling the ”white stuff.”

Summer Team

This summer we have the opportunity to lead the Montana team. We will be seeing the countryside this year as we travel across the States. Following Boot Camp we will board the bus, which has sleeping bunks on it, for the journey to the Northwest. The team will share the Gospel using puppets, songs and testimonies along our journey. After traveling through Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky to Evansville, Indiana, the team will spend a day at the Telling the Truth center for a night’s rest and showers. Then heading north and west, we will cross the mighty Mississippi River and view the great Gateway Arch before heading to Hannibal, Missouri, and setting of the novels featuring the famous characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Then it’s on to Iowa, with an overnight stay at Jericho Hills Camp. The next day, we head to the scenic Badlands of South Dakota and will stop at Mt. Rushmore to see four U.S. Presidents carved into the mountain and visit Little Big Horn Battlefield where General Custer was killed. Another day’s drive takes us to Theodore Roosevelt National Park for an overnight in this majestic park. The next day takes us to Glenaire, Montana, with a visit to a dinosaur dig site and a tour of the Creation Center. Finally, the team will arrive at the Assiniboine Indian Reservation for our summer work project, which is to build a cabin for the Indian Camp. During the time we are there, we will observe a powwow where Indians from different tribes across the U.S. come and perform native dances in tribal costumes. The team will hand out bottled water and assist in the cleanup after the powwows. We are excited about the opportunity that we have this summer to minister and train this group of young missionaries. As of the middle of January, we have three leaders and fifteen team members. Please pray with us for more leaders and another bus driver. Please pray, as well, for each teen on the team that they will raise the needed support and prepare their hearts for this experience.

This year is the last year that Bekah will be able to go with us as a family member due to her age. The kids are excited about traveling across country, viewing all of the historic sites.They have been diligent in reading Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in preparation for the visit to Hannibal. They both can name the four presidents on Mount Rushmore, can you? Both of the kids are still in scouts learning all the things that these great programs have to offer. Bekah just finished selling cookies and once again has topped her number sold from last year. Drew is working on his pinewood derby car and getting ready for the derby at the end of January. They both are doing well in school and are enjoying their studies and their classmates.

We continue to oversee the BiBle, Missionary & Work Training Center (BMW), as well as the Retreat and Conference Center. Both avenues of ministry keep us very busy. We currently have 23 students in the training program, nine interns serving in Florida, Australia, Ecuador, Uganda and South Africa, and seven graduates raising support for their internship. It is quite a blessing to be living and serving among these future missionaries. We never have a dull moment, with someone always needing something from medical advice, academic encouragement, spiritual counseling or just a hug. The schedule for the Conference Center is booked quite often for the spring. We have several local youth and men’s groups using our facilities for their retreats, along with three youth work groups spending their Spring Break with us, helping us to get ready for Boot Camp. Andy has also been overseeing the kitchen: purchasing, menu planning and cooking for the BMW students and retreats. He really enjoys this part of his day and he is great at it.

We would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to all of you that so faithfully pray and give of your finances for us to continue serving the Lord in this ministry. We have said it before, but we will say it again, “We could not do this without you!”

Drew has decided that he wants to experience a team for his age group, Peanuts 7-9 year olds. He has chosen the Cookie Command team, which will mix and bake cookie dough for yummy cookies that will be shared with military personnel at a nearby Air Force base. Each cookie will be packaged with a Bible verse, so these men and women who serve our country will know just how much Jesus loves them. He will learn how to share the gospel by using puppets, the wordless book, and music. He needs to raise $270 to cover the costs of the team. If you are interested in supporting his effort, please fill out the attached coupon and send the money to Teen Missions in his name. Thanks so much.